Walk through the quiet village of São Geraldo, and turn down the small lane of Rua Esquerda. Say “bom dia” to the old gentlemen sitting in chairs on the lane outside their houses, having a chat. Then, when you see the silver metal historic plaque from Évora Turismo at the end of the lane, look around the corner of the neat blue and white Alentejana house. The rough stone mound in the corner which serves as a storage shed has been standing there for thousands of years, far longer than the houses around it. It’s a prehistoric tomb which has been incorporated into the modern building.
The tomb, or anta, is a small chambered tomb with seven upright stones (or “orthostats”) and a capstone in place. It’s dated as “Neo-Chalcolithic,” so it was probably constructed in the third millennium BC. There are no traces of the original mound any longer, but one upright stone of the original corridor remains, plastered into the wall of the house.
Records from archaeological studies around 1900 by José Leite de Vasconcelos show that at that time there were a few more corridor stones remaining, and that the house had already been built by that time. In the 1930s it was again studied, by Manuel Heleno, and it was being used as a chicken coop. Despite being listed as a Property of Public Interest in 2003, it still shows signs of being used for domestic purposes.
This is an interesting example of a prehistoric construction that has been incorporated into a modern building. Portugal has a few other dolmens that have been incorporated into churches (in the region are the Anta-Capela of São Dinis in Pavia and the Anta-Capela of São Brissos), but there are no other examples (that I know of!) of these tombs being used functionally.
Location
The anta is located in the Alentejo region, in the Évora district, municipality of Montemar-o-Novo. It’s in the centre of the village of São Geraldo, located on Portugal’s historic National Road #2 (at km 505).
Access
The anta is easily reached: it’s in the middle of the village! Park on the main road (Rua 25 de Abril) near the Escola Primária (primary school) and walk down Rua Esquerda.
Signage
There are road signs along National Road #2 at the northern edge of São Geraldo, directing you to the anta. At the primary school, turn left down Rua Esquerda. The anta is at the end of that road (after a bend to the left).
Links
- Entry (in English) from The Megalithic Portal
- Article (in Portuguese) from Sapo Travel
- Article (in Portuguese) from the Town Hall of Montemor-o-Novo
- Radio broadcast (in Portuguese) from RTP 1 (episode #207 of “Vou Ali e Já Venho”)
- Description (in Portuguese) from Archaeologists’ Portal of Directorate-General of Cultural Heritage
- Designation (in Portuguese) as a Property of Public Interest by the Directorate-General of Cultural Heritage
Nearby
There are many prehistoric sites in the area. The two nearest are the Anta Grande da Comenda da Igreja (which is 1km further south along the National Road #2) and the Anta da Comenda Grande, which is 1.2km along the road from São Geraldo towards Sabugueiro. The most
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